Like Father, Like Son
by Phoenix-cry
Summary: When an old foe returns Daniel finds himself at odds with the rest of the team...and himself. no shipping
1. Chapter 1

Note from the Author: Timing sort of matters to this story. This takes place right after season 8. In a way I guess it's my way of opening season 9...which I have not seen.

Like Father, Like Son

Chapter One

"Sir?"

General O'Neill looked up from the paperwork on his desk. Carter was standing in the door way. Jack waited a moment, but Sam didn't enter his office. He groaned and put his forehead down on the desk. Sam looked around uncomfortably before stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

"We...we searched the house." Sam said slowly. "It's worse than we thought."

"How is that possible?" Jack grumbled as he looked up at Sam with a murderous glare.

"I think you need to come and see for yourself."

"Do I have to?"

Sam gave Jack a 'yes-you-have-to' look. Jack muttered something under his breath and got up from his chair as if every joint in his body hurt. Under different circumstances Sam would have smiled at his melodrama, but today her expression remained serious.

They kept an uncomfortably silence on the way down in the elevator. When they got off Sam lead the way to one of the lesser used labs. Outside of the door stood six heavily armed guards. Jack furrowed his brow at the sight. He turned to Carter and took a breath to ask about them.

"Yes, Sir," Sam replied before Jack asked "they are absolutely necessary."

Sam took out her card key and unlocked the heavy metal door. She opened the door and stood to the side to allow Jack to see inside. He gave her a wary look and peeked into the room.

"Holy sh..." Jack gasped and slammed the door shut.

"Sir..."

"Carter! Is that what I think it is?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I want a dozen more men down here now." Jack growled to the nearest guard. "With claymores, lots of them...and some C-4 for good measure."

"Sir, that might not work..."

"I'd use a Naquadah bomb if I didn't think it would kill us all."

"That might not even be enough."

"What?"

"They're stronger than what we've dealt with before...although they haven't tried to hurt anyone yet. We might be over react..."

"Carter!" Jack interrupted. "There is no possible way to over react, that's a replicator!"

"Five of them actually."

"Even better. I thought they were supposed to be gone, dead, toast, no longer a problem!"

"I thought so too. These ones are different, like I said they haven't attacked anyone, they haven't tried to replicate, and they seem to be fully under human control."

"I don't care, destroy them."

"Like I said before, Sir, I don't think we can." Carter replied sadly.

Jack closed his eyes and slowly banged his head against the steel door. Sam put her hand on his shoulder.

"Human control?" Jack asked in a defeated tone.

"Yes, Sir."

"Where is he?"

"In containment cell 8." Sam replied.

"We caught him?"

"He came peacefully."

Without further comment Jack stormed back towards the elevator. Sam let him go without following. Jack was relieved to have the elevator to himself, it gave him a chance to get in some quality swearing.

Standing outside the door of containment 8 were six more guards and Teal'c. The Jaffa looked like a statue. He held his staff weapon casually, but Jack knew he'd have it ready to fire in seconds if he had to.

Teal'c bowed his head respectfully to Jack and stepped aside from the door. Jack flashed him a tight lipped smile. After a deep breath Jack unlocked the door and stepped inside. Their prisoner was sitting on the cot casually with his back leaning against the wall. He looked up at Jack and smiled brightly.

"Hi, Jack."

"Hello, Daniel."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Do I know you?" Jack asked seriously.

"Ja..." Daniel started.

"No, really. Who are you?" Jack demanded angrily. "And where's Daniel."

"I'm right here, honestly. Just calm down, they're harmless."

"Harmless? So, what, you've been keeping these ultra-replicators as pets?" Jack snarled.

"Yes, Jack, pets." Daniel mocked sarcastically. "They're a real hit at the dog park."

"Where did you even find them?"

"I didn't."

"They found you?"

"Not exactly." Daniel paused. "I...um...I built them."

"You...built...them..." Jack repeated slowly, clearly using all of his strength to keep his temper. "Since I have no hope of understanding, 'why', let's start with 'how?'."

"Replicator Sam taught me."

"That was nice of her." Jack said dryly.

"Not willingly of course." Daniel clarified. "When she'd captured me she tried to get the knowledge of the Ancients. And while she was exploring my mind, I slipped into hers."

"Why?" Jack demanded.

"I had to do something. Remember when all of the replicators that were attacking suddenly froze?"

"Yeah, I seem to recall that." Jack admitted begrudgingly.

"I was learning to control them. Given a little more time I might have even learned to control her."

"But you lost control of them, they started to attack again."

"That's because replicator Sam ran me through with some sort of sword."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Anyway, about three months ago on PX3-279..."

"Daniel," Jack interrupted "I don't care."

"Bu..."

"Just answer the following questions in as few words possible. First: do you control those metal bugs downstairs?"

"Yes. They ar..."

"Second: can you destroy them?"

Daniel didn't say anything, he just nodded slightly.

"Good, then do it." Jack ordered.

"I can't."

"You just told me you could."

"I guess I meant to say: 'I won't'." Daniel corrected. "They are too important."

Jack said nothing. For a moment the pair simply stared at each other, locked in their own stubborn resolve. Eventually Jack turned to the door and closed it before turning his attention back to Daniel.

"Jack?" Daniel asked nervously.

"I don't want Teal'c to have to watch me kill you." Jack growled darkly.

"Wait, you don't understand..."

"No! I don't! What the...what are you thinking?!" Jack roared. "Did you wake up one day and think to yourself 'gee, things in the galaxy have really slowed down, I think I'll mix things up by recreating one of the greatest threats we've ever faced.'?"

"I haven't recreated a threat." Daniel snarled defensively. "I'm trying to prevent one."

"Care to fill me in on it?"

"Anubis."

"He's dead."

"Far from it. Oma is simply keeping him busy. She can't fight Anubis forever...and more importantly: she shouldn't have to."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sitting in the small observation room Jack looked down through the one way mirror into the medical containment area. Daniel sat patiently on the edge of the plain bed in the middle of the room wearing a pair of white scrubs. He'd peacefully allowed the medical staff to run just about every test they could think of, except an MRI, the computer had crashed and they were still trying to fix it.

There was a gentle knock at the door. Jack rolled his eyes and muttered something about crying out loud under his breath. Everyone was tip toeing around him today and it was starting to grate on his nerves.

"Sir?" Carter asked hesitantly as she opened the door.

"Please tell me the good Doctor has figured this thing out."

"Not exactly." Sam stepped into the room, followed by Teal'c. "How's Daniel doing?"

"I wouldn't know." Jack snarled. "That thing isn't him, it just does a good impression of him."

"A really good one apparently." Sam sighed. "I was just talking to Dr. Brightman and all of Daniel's blood work checks out. She says that not only is the DNA a perfect match, down to the last base pair, but he is in excellent, if not perfect, health."

"I don't care what the God damn blood work says. That isn't Daniel."

"What if it is?" Sam asked serious

"He wouldn't do this." Jack replied stubbornly.

"Actually, I think he would, Sir."

"I have to agree with Colonel Carter." Teal'c said gravely. "Daniel Jackson has often done what other would not to fight the Gou'ald. I believe he would give anything to kill Anubis."

"Plus, Oma has saved his life twice." Carter added. "Beyond that, he truly respects her. I think if he found a way to help her he'd do it in a heartbeat."

"You honestly believe that Daniel would risk the entire galaxy to settle his own debt?" Jack countered.

"I'm not settling a debt," Daniel said indignantly "and the only thing I risked was your trust."

Everyone in the observation room froze. While arguing about Daniel, they had forgotten about him. He had gotten up off the bed and was staring up at the one way mirror that divided them.

"Carter, aren't these two rooms supposed to be set up so that he can't hear us?" Jack asked annoyed.

"They are. He...he must have control over the base's systems." Sam said incredulously.

"What?!" Jack exclaimed in alarm.

"Think about it, if he can control replicators, and they can control our computers, it would make sense that he has access to them as well. That would include the intercom."

"No, Sam." Daniel chuckled. "Jack's leaning on the button."

Jack looked down and sheepishly lifted his elbows up off the console. He looked back at Daniel and furrowed his brow. Even if the intercom was open Daniel shouldn't be able to see through the mirror.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked through the intercom.

"Sam would know better, and Teal'c never leans against anything." Daniel answered simply.

Teal'c and Sam tried not to smile, but they both failed. Jack glared at them both before rubbing at his temples in frustration.

"Come on, Jack," Daniel said wearily "at least hear me out."

Jack pressed the intercom button purposefully. "As far as I'm concerned, nothing you say can be trusted."

"So, you're going to keep me here for the rest of my life?" Daniel growled.

"If I have to."

"Jack, if I really had plans to over run the base with replicators, don't you think I would have done so by now? If I had access to the computer systems, don't you think I would unlocked the door myself?"

"He has a point, Sir. The replicators haven't even tried to get out of their cages, in fact they've barely moved."

"I'm not listening to anything he says until he dismantles those things completely."

"Fine." Daniel sighed. "If that's what it's going to take."

The second after he said the words the phone in the observation room rang. Sam looked suspiciously at Daniel who walked back over to the bed. He sat down, and hung his head in defeat, looking for all the world like he was being forced to slaughter his own flesh and blood children.

"O'Neill." Jack answered the phone.

"Sir, the replicators down here just fell apart. There's nothing left but dust."

"Dust?"

"It's like they suddenly corroded."

"Good. Best news I've heard all day. Continue to guard the room until further notice."

"Yes, Sir."

"Looks like Danny's at least starting to come back to his senses." Jack said as he hung up the phone.

Jack got up and went to leave the observation room. Sam followed quickly and stopped him once he was in the hall. Jack froze as Carter reached up on her tip toes to put her lips next to his ear.

"I don't think that's Daniel, Sir." Sam whispered.

"What?" Jack replied in a gruff whisper. "You're the one who's been trying to convince me that he is."

"You didn't have the intercom on when you said you wouldn't listen to him until the replicators were gone, and yet he answered you perfectly."

"He's known what I've wanted all day, it could have easily been a coincidence."

"But what if it wasn't? What if he is in the computers?"

Jack took a breath to respond but was stopped by the sound of Dr. Brightman hustling down the hall towards them.

"General O'Neill." She said breathlessly.

"Yes, what is it?" Jack asked in a defeated tone.

"I think you should come see for yourself."

Jack gave Sam a forlorn look.

"Yes, Sir, you have to."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Something has been bothering me about Dr. Jackson's X-ray. At first I didn't really worry about it, because I thought the MRI would give me a better picture. When we couldn't get one I went back to the X-ray."

"And?" Jack asked when she didn't continue.

"I can't be really sure, X-rays aren't meant to show soft tissue, and my judgment could be clouded by the fact that I think I'm supposed to find something."

"Doc, spit it out."

"Right."

Dr. Brightman pulled an X-ray out of its manila envelope and snapped it into the clip on the light box. After looking at the ghost like X-ray for a moment Jack looked to Teal'c and Sam to see if they saw something he didn't. Teal'c had raised one eye brow, but Jack had learned over the years that that could mean any number of things. Sam looked interested, but not shocked.

"Alright, I give...what am I supposed to be looking at." Jack shrugged.

Dr. Brightman ran her finger nail over a few places that held thin spider web like lines, they didn't really stand out, but they were visible. To Jack's untrained eye they looked like blood vessels.

"These are nerves, specifically the 12 cranial nerves."

"Those shouldn't appear on an X-ray, should they?" Sam asked.

"No, they shouldn't, at least not so clearly. I dismissed them at first as just 'noise', but when I studied it closer I found the pattern that revealed them as nerves."

"What does it mean?" Jack asked.

"I'm not really sure." Dr. Brightman admitted. "My first thought was that it was being caused by radioactivity. But I tested Dr. Jackson and he isn't giving off any. I really need an MRI to see exactly what we're looking at, but computer is still down."

"Is there another substance that would cause such an anomaly?" Teal'c asked.

"One other thought crossed my mind, but it doesn't make any sense."

"Try us," Jack flashed a tight smile "if it's one thing we've learned it's that things don't always have to make sense. Particularly when Daniel is involved."

"Well, metal shows up very well on an X-ray. But Dr. Jackson's blood tests didn't show any signs of heavy metals. I can't imagine how his nervous system could become infused with metal without also contaminating his blood. Not to mention that if this quantity of metal actually was in his system he'd be insane, or more likely dead."

"Unless..." Sam said but stopped.

"Unless what?" Jack pressed.

"What if the metal was intelligent?"

"Intelligent?"

"Sir, we might be looking at a parasitic replicator."

"Oh joy."

"We can't be sure of anything without an MRI." Dr. Brightman pointed out.

"Then get it up and running."

Dr. Brightman nodded and pulled the X-ray down off the light box as the others left. No one had notice the odd behaviour of the security camera that had kept focusing on them during the meeting. Back in medical containment Daniel was staring off into space. His eyes suddenly snapped back into focus and he looked around the empty room in indecision. He dragged his hands through is hair and growled in frustration.

"You're far too clever, Sam."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Daniel woke without opening his eyes. He laid in bed for a few minutes, dreading to face the day. Knowing he'd have to do it sooner or later he opened one eye experimentally and looked around.

"Damn it." Daniel muttered.

Sitting up Daniel looked around at the Asian influenced bedroom. He sighed heavily. He'd woken up in this strange room every morning for the past three or four months. He wasn't exsactly sure how long, he'd lost track of time a long time ago.

"Either this is the longest dream in history...or I've finally gone insane." Daniel muttered to himself.

He begrudgingly got out of bed and wandered the house that had become his prison. It had the same general flavor as his home in the real world. Artifacts, scrolls, tablets, and other trinkets of both Earth and Alien origin cluttered every available surface. Down the hall was a library with ever reference book he'd ever touched.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was trapped here Daniel might consider himself in paradise. However it didn't take long for the bizarre house to become an infuriating purgatory.

Outside was even stranger. The single level house was surrounded by a lush Japanese garden. There was even a small pond that contained a handful of brightly coloured koi. The peaceful garden was surrounded by a high stone wall that was covered in patches of dark green moss.

There was a wooden gate in the wall, but Daniel didn't bother with it anymore. He'd tried dozens of time to leave, but the results were always the same. Beyond the gate lay a vast expanse of desert.

At first it reminded him of Abydos, with the sand stretching out as far as you could see. After a week of captivity Daniel struck out across the burning sands. Many hours of walking later he'd arrived back at the house some how.

He'd eventually given up, there was no way to walk out of this place. He realized that this wasn't the physical world long before he was willing to admit it to himself. The days seemed to grow longer, and slowly they began to blur into one another.

After admiting that escape couldn't be found outside Daniel turned his attention to the countless artifacts and tablets that littered the house. It was as if someone knew which pieces in his collection still mystified him and had placed them all here.

The piece that fascinated him the most was a metal tablet covered in Ancient writing. The metal had an odd oily look to it, like nothing he'd ever seen in any other Ancient artifact or anything else for that matter.

He vaugly recognized the tablet from the real world, but couldn't quite remember where he'd originally found it. Since the piece was prominently displayed on the table in the living room he'd assumed it was important and spent a good deal of time translating it.

The first half of the translation had gone smoothly, it was about the discovery of the metal itself. The second half however was pure gibberish, as if it had been written by a mad man.

Walking into the living room Daniel glanced over at the tablet, but he was in no mood to study it today. He sat down heavily on the futon and rubbed at his temples. The unexplained captivity was starting to drive him insane.

A sudden meow made Daniel look up. The other oddity of this world had jumped up on coffee table, an Abyssinian cat. The cat seemed to come and go as it pleased. He was friendly, but never allowed Daniel to touch him.

"You again." Daniel sighed. "You know I've come to the conclusion that you're not a cat at all."

"Meow?"

"Don't give me that. You're clearly my captor, and I don't appreciate you coming around to gloat. The least you could do is tell me why I'm here. I can't help you if I don't know what you want."

The cat simply purred. Daniel looked around.

"Don't get me wrong the decor is nice...for a prison."

"You like it?" A sudden voice asked. "I built it for you."

Daniel jerked from the sudden voice. Looking over at the intruder he scrambled up off the futon and back up against the glass door that lead to the garden. He stared in disbelief at the man leaning against the doorway to the hall. It was himself.

"I didn't want you getting bored." The new 'Daniel' explained as he walked into the room. "I know you've always wanted the time to study some of the artifacts that were never high enough priority to get to."

"Who are you?" Daniel demanded.

"That's a difficult question to answer. In a way I guess I'm your son."

Daniel choked a bit. "You're...uh...you're a little old to be..."

"I didn't mean it literally."

"Right." Daniel said quickly. "I take it this is all happening in my mind."

"That's right."

"So I must be insane." Daniel said in a defeated tone.

"No. Probably a little stir crazy, maybe a touch of cabin fever. I'm sorry about that, I've been using the cat form to check in on you."

"Yeah...that sounds completely sane." Daniel shook his head. "Do you...do you have to look like me? It's a little unnerving."

"I could look like my Mother if that would help."

Daniel jerked away as his double shifted his shape into that of Sam. The black outfit and cold look in her eyes revealed her as the replicator version rather than his flesh and blood friend.

"You're a replicator!" Daniel spat.

"No, I'm something else. A hybrid of sorts." The replicator shifted his shape once again into a young man that looked like he could be Daniel and Sam's son.

"How is this even possible...the replicators were all killed."

"You can't kill something that isn't alive." The replicator corrected. "They were deactivated."

"Whatever, you still shouldn't exist."

"What's the last thing you remember before you found yourself here?"

"I'm not telling you anything." Daniel snarled.

"Fine, you don't have to. I have access to all of your memories anyway."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I'm trying to explain what happened, I thought you'd understand it better if you participated." The replicator sighed. "The last thing you should remember is being on PX3-279, where you found that odd metal Ancient tablet. You were going to bring it back to base, but something stopped you."

"Sam...she got sick." Daniel's heart jumped. "She was dying. What did you do to her?!"

"I saved her life, and yours. The metal that the tablet is made of is deadly and yet life giving all at the same time."

"What?"

"When you two touched the tablet it seeped into your skin." The replicator explained calmly. "In Sam's case it quickly started to attack her vital organs. In your case something different happened."

"It created you." Daniel guessed.

"That's right."

"How?"

"Even I don't know all the details. Perhaps when my Mother pierced your heart she left behind a replicator cell. When that extraordinary metal started to coarse through your blood it reactivated the cell. From there I was able to reform the metal to give me new strength."

"I don't understand, how did you become conscious?"

"I'm not really sure." The replicator shrugged.

"How can you not know?"

"Do you remember being born?"

Daniel didn't answer.

"Once activated I found myself in a simmilar situation to the one you find yourself in now." The replicator continued. "I thought I was you, and for a while I thought I was dead."

"Why?"

"Because I suddenly had access to all of the information of the Ancients, and then I discovered that I also had a great deal of information about replicators."

"You read directly from my subconscious."

"Correct...it's very crowed in there."

"I bet." Daniel replied dryly. "What happened to Sam?"

"She's fine." The replicator assured. "Once I got full control of the metal in your system...and...um...well 'took over', I was able to coax the metal out of hers. This metal really is like nothing else in the galaxy, we're just lucky that replicator Sam didn't find it first."

"'Took over'?" Daniel repeated, not listing to the rest.

"I really didn't have plans to be anything other than a passive observer in your mind. I thought I might even be able to help you every once in a while with the Ancient knowledge. However we both know how bad we are at being 'passive'. Sam was going to die, I had to do something, taking over was the only way I could help her."

"If anything of what you're saying is true, then I guess I can believe that." Daniel admitted.

"It's all true...I wouldn't lie to myself."

Daniel groaned, this was too weird, even for him. He sat back down on the futon and rubbed at his temples.

"Okay..." Daniel stopped, realizing he didn't know the replicators name. "What should I call you?"

"Well, I've been calling myself 'Daniel', but I can see where'd you have a problem with that."

"It could get a little confusing." Daniel said sarcastically.

"If you have any respect for the traditions of Abydos you'd call me Kasuf."

"Forget it, even if what you're telling me is true it doesn't make you my son. There's no reason to have you named after my father-in-law."

"How about Kesi?" The replicator asked with a smile.

"Why does that sound familiar?" Daniel muttered to himself. "It's an Egyptian name meaning..."

"'Born of a troubled father'." Kesi provided.

"Very funny."

"I thought so. I think I'll go with that."

"Whatever." Daniel sighed. "So, Kesi...what do you want with me?"

"It's not what I want, it's what we want."

"Fine, what do we want?"

"You should be able to answer that yourself." Kesi replied with a wry smile. "If you had just one wish, what would it be?"

"I..." Daniel thought about it for a moment. "I guess I'd wish that Anubis was truly dead."

"Nice to see that we're finally on the same page."

"You want to kill Anubis?" Daniel asked suspiciously. "Why? What do you care?"

"I don't know." Kesi smiled. "...like father, like son, I guess."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

After leaving Dr. Brightman's office Jack returned to the observation room above medical containment. Teal'c had followed him silently. Sam had gone down to the mess and brought them all something to eat, but no one had touched any of it, not even Sam herself. Daniel was sitting on the bed staring blankly at the wall. Other than blinking occasionally he hadn't moved in over an hour.

It took a gentle knock on the door for Jack to realize that he hadn't moved much more than Daniel during that time. Dr. Brightman opened the door slowly.

"General?" She asked.

"Yes, doctor?" Jack answered without looking.

"We got the MRI computer back on line. I'd like to run a scan on Dr. Jackson."

"Why isn't he moving?" Jack asked rather than answered.

"He seems to have gone into a catatonic state, maybe even a light coma. It's actually a sign of a certain kind of schizophrenia, I read in his history that he was once diagno..."

"It was caused by an alien technology." Jack said quickly.

"That doesn't mean that he hasn't develope..." Dr. Brightman stopped when she saw the look on Jack's face. "The MRI will hopefully tell us more."

"Okay, let's do it."

Jack and Sam followed Dr. Brightman to the MRI computer room while Teal'c helped the medical staff with Daniel. He passively allowed Teal'c to pick him up, the whole time his eyes remained open but completely unfocused.

The MRI machine itself lay behind another glass wall, separated from the powerful computer that ran it to keep its magnets from affecting the hard drive. Despite having had countless MRIs Jack wasn't fully sure how they worked, in all honesty he didn't really care.

When Daniel was settled on the MRI table Teal'c joined Sam and Jack in the computer room. One of Dr. Brightman's technicians prepared the computer's systems to do a scan while another switched on the monitor that quietly beeped in rhythm with Daniel's heartbeat.

When everything was ready the technician looked to Dr. Brightman who nodded. The scanner hadn't even finished its first picture when Daniel jerked awake with a heart rendering cry of anguish. Despite the confines of the MRI machine he arched his back violently, and clawed at the table.

"What's happening?!" Jack exclaimed.

"I don't know!" Dr. Brightman admitted.

"Turn that thing off and get him out of there!"

Dr. Brightman slammed her palm down on the console. The MRI shut down and the table slide free of the bore. The machine that was monitoring Daniel's heart rate and blood pressure suddenly went out of control. The steady beeping grew frantically faster and then switched to a solid wailing tone.

"Code blue!" Dr. Brightman cried. "Code blue!"

The medical staff leapt into action. The nurse in room ripped open Daniel's scrub shirt and started manual CPR. Dr. Brightman scrambled into the MRI room as another assistant prepared the defibulator. Sam, Teal'c, and Jack rushed into the room as well, wanting to help, but basically just making sure to keep themselves out of the way.

"Clear!" Dr. Brightman ordered.

Sam looked away, but nothing could shield her from the horrible sound that the charging defibulator made. Dr. Brightman pressed the cold metal paddles against Daniel's chest causing him to gasp before she'd even had a chance to administer the shock. The heart monitor started up a fast paced cadence once again.

Dr. Brightman dropped the paddles and checked his pulse manually. Daniel grabbed her wrist and pushed her away. After scrambling down off the table he looked around frantically until he spotted his friends. Seeing the look in Daniel's eyes now Jack was convinced that he was once again himself, and briefly wondered how he'd ever doubted that the man before was anything more than a stranger.

"Jack!" Daniel cried.

"Right here." Jack answered reassuringly, taking a step forward.

"Keep away from me!"

"Daniel, calm down, we weren't trying to hurt you."

"That's not what I'm afraid of." Daniel panted. "There's some sort of replicator in me."

"We know." Sam said gravely.

"We discovered him yesterday." Teal'c added.

"He's had control of me for months."

"Months?" Jack asked shocked.

"He's been keeping me locked in my own mind...we were talking. He was telling me how he formed from a cell from replicator Sam, and something about PX3-279..." Daniel rambled quickly. "We started to argue and then their was just pain. I don't know what happened."

"The metal..." Dr. Brightman said in horror. "The MRI was affecting it...I...I should have thought of that, it was such a small amount, and I wasn't really convinced that it even was metal...I could have killed you."

"You set me free." Daniel said honestly. "But I don't know for how much longer."

"Daniel, what is going on?" Jack asked desperately. "If he's been 'you' for the past few months he's acted exactly as you would have."

"Except for stealing rare metals to make replicators." Sam commented.

"What?!" Daniel exclaimed.

"That's what made us suspicious in the first place, some artifacts that only a limited number of people have access to went missing. You were one of the people who would have access so we were forced to search your house. We found five replicators there."

"Where are they now?!"

"He agreed to destroy them." Teal'c informed.

"That doesn't make sense."

"He said that he had built them because he thought that they could some how kill Anubis." Sam added. "But I think he still needed our help because he desperately wanted to talk this out."

"He also came to me for help in defeating Anubis. That's when we started to argue." Daniel said. "Something else is happening here, that can't be his plan."

"What if it is?" Sam asked. "What if he really is another 'you', except with all the knowledge of the Ancients. Through all our mucking around in Time, and Alternate worlds, this sort of thing has happened before. Maybe he really does want to kill Anubis, and knows how."

"That would be nice." Jack admitted.

**"No, it's not possible." Daniel replied stubbornly. "He is never to be trusted!"**

**"Why not?"**

**"Because he's been lying to me from the start."**

**"What?"**

**"This body isn't the one I was born with, when the Ancients return me to human form they do so using a stored memory of my DNA." Daniel explained. "They can't clone anything about me that isn't organic in nature. I'm sure you remember from the last time that I returned without a stitch of clothing in Jack's office." **

**"My therapist says in time I'll learn to forget that." Jack replied.**

** "I don't even come back with my dental fillings." Daniel continued, ignoring the comment. "How could I could I come back with a piece of replicator?"**

**"That's a good question."**

**"Unless..." Daniel stopped.**

**"Unless what?" Jack asked when he didn't continue.**

**"No," Daniel shook his head "no, if that were true, it can't be..."**

**"If what were true?" Jack asked annoyed. **

**"There's only one thing I can think of that would make this all possible..."**

**Daniel stopped suddenly and raised his hand to his forehead as if in pain. He reached back with his other hand to grip the MRI table for support. **

**"Daniel?" Sam asked concerned. **

**"He's trying to put me to sleep." Daniel growled. He looked up at Jack with a terrified look in his sapphire eyes. "He's trying to take over again."**

**"Stay with us, Danny."**

**"I can't, I don't know how to fight him." Daniel lamented. "Jack, don't trust him. And don't let me off this base. Promise me, you'll do whatever it takes to keep me here. He can't be allowed out."**

**"Da..."**

**"Promise!" Daniel snarled as he fought to keep control.**

**"I promise." Jack said seriously. **

**Daniel smiled weakly. Jack reached out quickly to catch him as he fell. For a moment he just held his unconscious friend, unsure of what to do next. Teal'c came over and gently took Daniel, holding him as though he were a sleeping child.**

**"Take him back to medical, full restraints." Jack ordered sadly. "I want a real lock installed, something that isn't connected to the computers. Six guards at all times, with orders to shoot to kill."**

**"Sir?" Sam said in alarm. **

**"I have a promise to keep, Carter."**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Kesi woke with a pounding headache, even the dim light of the medical containment room was blinding at first. After getting his bearings he looked around the mostly empty room. Slipping into the computer system for a moment he discovered that it was close to three in the morning.

Kesi attempted to get up out of bed and found his wrists firmly restrained in thick leather straps. A quick experiment revealed that his ankles were similarly bound. It didn't really come as a surprise, but at this same time it was going to be a problem.

"Jack?" Kesi whimpered pitifully.

There was no answer, just the gentle beeping of the heart monitor.

"Jack, please," Kesi managed to spill a crocodile tear "I'm in a great deal of pain."

"I'm sorry," Jack's weary voice came over the intercom "I can't let you out of there."

"I'm not asking you to release me...I'm just asking for help. Please."

"I'll call Dr. Brightman." Jack conceded.

"Thank you."

While Jack was distracted Kesi looked over at the heart monitor. He concentrated for a moment and smiled when he managed to lower the reading from 84 down to 78 and then up to 92 without changing the actual rhythm of his heart.

A few minutes later Jack let himself into the room quietly. Kesi looked over at him and winced against an imaginary pain.

"Daniel, Dr. Brightman was sleeping, but she'll be here soon."

"How do you know I'm Daniel?"

"I don't." Jack admitted. "But it helps me to think that you are."

"How so?"

"It gives me a chance to apologize." Jack sighed.

"For what? This isn't your fault."

"I should have noticed sooner."

"He has access to all my memories. There wouldn't have been any question about me you could have asked that he couldn't have answered."

"Having access into someone's mind isn't the same as having access into their heart. I don't understand how a machine could be pretending to be you for the past three months so effectively. I mean three weeks ago he almost drown on PV2-951 saving some stranger from a river flood. Even when he'd been caught building replicators he had reasons that made me believe he could be you."

"Maybe Kesi is something more than just a machine."

"Kesi?"

"That's what he calls himself." Kesi replied quickly.

"Sounds like a girl's name."

"Actually, now that I think about it, it is." Kesi smiled.

"See? Right there, that's how I know you're Daniel. Replicator Sam never smiled like that. She may have looked like Sam, but her eyes were always just the cold stare of a machine."

"Maybe that's because she never pretended to be something she wasn't. Even still, Jack, you know I can't be trusted until we figure this thing out, right?"

"Don't worry, Sam will think of something. She always comes up with the answers sooner or later."

"She did manage to blow up a sun." Daniel chuckled. "So maybe there's hope for me yet."

The video camera in the hall way suddenly alerted Kesi to the fact that Dr. Brightman was approaching. While working on Jack's trust Kesi had almost forgotten that he was pretending to have a broken wing. He started to struggle for breath while making the heart monitor beep faster.

"Daniel?" Jack asked concerned.

"It's nothing." Kesi said through tightly clenched teeth.

"What's happening?" Dr. Brightman asked as she stepped in the room.

"He's in pain."

"I can handle it." Kesi insisted. He strained his muscles as if fighting to hide a deep pain.

"I'll get some morphine." Dr. Brightman said as she rumaged through a medical supply stand in the corner of the room.

"That's not going to work, this is just in my mind." Kesi panted. "It's him, Jack, he's hurting me."

"Why?"

Kesi said nothing.

"He's trying to force me to let you go." Jack answered his own question.

Kesi nodded. He continued to make his breathing seem increasingly laboured. Dr. Brightman attempted to help with the morphine injection. Kesi allowed them to believe that it worked for a moment and then screamed in renewed mock pain. He strained his muscles against the restraints and raised the heart monitor to a dangerous level.

"Daniel!"

"He's going to code again!" Dr. Brightman exclaimed.

"What do we do?"

"We need to wheel him down to OR and put him into an induced coma." Dr. Brightman suggested.

Jack balked at the idea of letting Daniel leave the secure room.

"We don't have remove the restraints." She assured. "If we don't do this, he's going to flat line, and we might not be as lucky as we were last time. I'm not sure how much more stress his heart can physically handle."

Kesi pierced the air with a heartfelt, almost musical, cry of agony.

"Do it." Jack ordered.

Kesi kept up his act while they prepared to take him to the OR. They pushed the wheeled medical bed out into the hallway. Jack motioned for three of the guards to follow and then went to walk by Daniel's side. Kesi knew his next move was risky, and might get them both killed, but he couldn't see any other choice. Daniel gasped violently as Kesi gave him control once again.

"Jack?" Daniel asked confused. "What's happening? Where are you taking me?"

Jack stopped cold, halting the rest of the group. He reached out and pressed his fingertips against Daniel's throat. His eyes widened in realization when he found Daniel's heartbeat to be strong, but by no means racing. Daniel eyes reflected the same fear as he read everything that had been happening in Jack's expression.

"Jack, it hasn't been me, he's been trick..."

Daniel was cut short by a sudden white hot pain that lanced up his left arm. It felt like he'd been stabbed in through the wrist. The jolt had taken his breath away and by the time he could gain it back Kesi took control once more.

Jack had no idea what had happened, and the chaos that ensued afterward was pure pandemonium.

The fluorescent lights in the ceiling above exploded in a shower of sparks, plunging the tunnel into darkness. Jack started to shout an order, but was quickly elbowed in the face. He lashed out blindly as Kesi jumped down off the bed and managed to snatch his wrist.

Kesi cried out in genuine pain and pulled away. Jack was unable to hold onto his prey, his grip had been made slick with what had felt like blood. Now free Kesi ran down the darkened hall toward the Gate room. None of the gaurds dared to open fire in the blinding darkness. Jack groped along the wall until he found one of the overhead address phones.

"Seal off the Gate ro..." Jack managed to say before Kesi disabled the PA system. The alarms for an unauthorized gate activation went off briefly. "Damn it!"

Jack took off after Kesi, he didn't need the lights to know where he was going. Jack managed to slip into the Gate room just as Kesi was locking it down. He was relieved to see that Teal'c had managed to do the same through the other door. Jack glanced up and saw that Sam was already in the control room trying to shut the Gate down. He had told them both to get some sleep, but clearly they had trouble following orders.

Kesi had started dialing the gate before he'd even reached the room and only needed two more chevrons to open it. He was standing at the base of the ramp, starting at the symbols as the Gate turned. Jack signaled to Teal'c to cut the power to the Gate manually.

Teal'c nodded and slunk along the wall towards the emergency shut down box. Kesi seemed oblivious to them both so Jack made his presence known by nosily cocking his sidearm. Seconds later Teal'c managed to cut power to the Gate and interrupt the dialing sequence.

"Turn around." Jack growled.

"I forgot what a good runner you are." Kesi admitted as he turned around slowly.

"I've had lots of practice."

"Are you going to shoot us?" Kesi asked calmly.

"If I have to."

"You wouldn't be trying to stop me if you knew what I was doing." Kesi insisted.

With his hands up Kesi took a few steps backwards up the ramp. Jack could see now why he hadn't been able to keep his hold on the man, blood dripped freely from his left wrist.

"Stop." Jack warned.

Kesi caught motion out of the corner of his eye. Teal'c was flanking him with a zat gun in hand.

"I'm sorry, Jack, I have to do this." Kesi said sadly. "You know it's ironic how much it hurts to lose your trust, it's worse than being doubted by Daniel even though I am him in so many ways...you said so yourself."

"You're not Daniel, now let him go!"

"I will, I promise."

With those words Kesi turned around and sprinted up to the Gate. Without hesitation Teal'c fired. The zat blast brought Kesi to his knees, but didn't bring him down completely. He lashed out and gripped the edge of the Gate. The Gate reacted violent to his touch, and with a loud crack a wormhole snapped into existence without forming a vortex first.

Scrambling to his feet Kesi leapt into the shimmering pool of light. Jack hesitated a moment too long and ended up firing a single round into the active wormhole rather into Daniel himself. Teal'c climbed up on to the ramp and was fully prepared to chase Kesi through the wormhole however the gateway vanished before he could reach it. Jack stared at the deactivated Gate for a moment.

"What the hell just happened?!" Jack hissed angrily.

"I think he transferred the energy from the zat blast to the Gate to open a worm hole." Sam replied from the control room. She left the useless computer to join the others in the gate room.

"Is that even possible?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Clearly." Teal'c growled.

"Theoretically," Sam added as she joined them "any energy source can open the Gate. It was kind of foolish of us to think that we could contain him."

"If he could leave at any time, why did he stay so long?" Jack asked in frustration. "Why didn't he escape when we first discovered the replicators?"

"I'm starting to think that he really does want our help." Sam replied.

"He's not going to get it!" Jack snarled. "And he's not going to get Daniel either. Suit up, we're going after him."

"That wormhole isn't in our computer memory...he could have gone anywhere." Sam pointed out.

"He went back to PX3-279." Jack said confidently.

"How do you know that?" Teal'c asked.

"I don't, but it's my best guess and I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Daniel stumbled through the other side of the wormhole into a heavily forested world. Before he got a chance to regain his balance the bullet that Jack had fired through the Gate tore clean through his back just below the shoulder blade. He cried out in pain as he fell down the short flight of steps in front of the gate.

The mossy ground of PX3-279 was of little comfort. Daniel laid still for a moment before gritting his teeth and forcing himself to sit up. He coughed violent and spat bright red blood. Every breath burned like it was fanning a flame in his chest.

Daniel raised his hand to the large exit wound to help stave the bleeding that was quickly soaking his white scrubs. A few more inches to the right and the bullet would have pierced his heart. As it was it had ripped through his lung and shattered a rib.

"Damn it, Jack, your aim is better than this." Daniel growled.

Breathing was getting increasingly difficult as the blood seeped into his lungs. Not knowing what else to do Daniel struggled to his feet. Stumbling to the DHD he dialed home, not questioning the fact that seemed to instinctively know his new point of origin. Half way to the open wormhole Daniel's legs suddenly failed. He tried to get up again, however something more than the wound was holding him back.

"Let me go!" Daniel cried in frustration.

'Jack will have closed the iris by now.' A voice identical to Daniel's own rang in his ears.

"You think I don't know that?!"

'I'm not going to let you commit suicide, Daniel.'

"I'm going to drown in my own blood anyway." Daniel growled as he started to pant.

'Not if I have anything to say about it.' Kesi replied.

Daniel fought harder to stand.

'Stop struggling,' Kesi snapped 'don't make me paralyze you completely.'

Mentally exhausted and in too much pain to keep fighting Daniel gave in. Once a prisoner of his mind, he now sat on the ground a prisoner of his body as well. Kesi allowed him to move as long as he didn't make any attempt to stand or crawl towards the still open gate. He silently cursed himself for opening it, now his friends would be locked out of their own gate for the next thirty-eight minutes.

Daniel gasped as he felt a liquid cold running down his spine and then filling his chest. The cold quickly replaced the burning pain, but it was almost as unpleasant. There was nothing Kesi could do about the blood that Daniel had lost to the outside world, but he was clearly pulling it out of his lungs. Breathing was rapidly becoming easier.

Once the gapping hole in his chest was repaired Daniel felt the icy touch of Kesi slip down his arm and into his badly injured wrist. Breaking through Daniel's skin was the only way Kesi could think of to cut through the leather strap and allow him to free himself. It had been a risk. He couldn't hold Daniel's mind hostage while he was no longer attached to his central nervous system, but he discovered now that he could still restrain him physically. It wasn't long before Kesi was almost finished repairing the damage.

"This is pointless. Jack's aim may have been off, but I guarantee you that Sam's won't be." Daniel snarled. "She won't let me live with the same guilt that she carries. I don't think anyone in the galaxy hates replicators as much as she does."

'I thought you said I couldn't be a replicator.' Kesi mocked.

"There will always be a shadow of a doubt in Sam's mind, and that will be enough."

'I know...in fact, I'm counting on it.'

"Wha..."

Daniel was cut off as Kesi retook control. Kesi got up and lifted up his blood stained shirt to inspect his work. He smiled; not even a scar. He glanced at the open wormhole before leaving down the path through the forest.

It didn't take long for Kesi to find what he was looking for. The tablet was exactly where he had been forced to leave it. He had asked Jack twice to allow him to return to retrieve it, but after Sam almost died Jack marked the planet as off limits to anyone.

Kesi sat down and placed his palms on the iridescent metal. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Daniel had mistakenly thought that Kesi was interested in what the tablet said. However translation was the last thing on his mind at the moment, it was the material itself that had drawn him here.

Kesi wasn't sure how long he worked on the tablet, he hoped less than half an hour. When he was done he opened his eyes and smiled. Three replicators coloured like oil slicks twitched nervously in front of him. They looked like newborn foals getting to their feet for the first time. However it wasn't long before they stood firmly on all six legs with their attention aimed reverently towards him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Sir, you must have hit him." Sam remarked. "The DHD is covered in blood."

Jack walked over and looked down at the DHD. The symbols that would dial home were all caked in drying blood. On the control was a perfect bloody handprint. He suddenly felt the guilt of a hunter who had wounded a buck without bringing it down.

"He was bleeding before he left." Jack pointed out.

"Not to this degree." Teal'c retorted innocently.

"If Daniel's still losing blood at this rate we are running out of time to find him." Sam said urgently.

"Alright," Jack sighed "spread out, keep in close radio contact, and if anyone finds him keep him covered until the rest of us can join."

Teal'c tilted his head in his silent way of agreement and headed off to the North through the lush forest.

"He most likely went down the path." Sam commented.

"Then I'll take the path, and you head South."

Sam nodded and went to leave.

"Carter?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Be careful." Jack warned. "He's not Daniel."

"I know."

"Yeah, well, I thought I knew it too."

Sam smiled sadly and nodded. Jack looked like he wanted to say more, but he walked off without further comment. Sam flicked the safety off her P90 and stalked off to the South. Every ten minutes they checked in, but after half an hour of searching they had found no trace of their quarry.

"Alright," Jack radioed "everyone back to the Gate."

Sam sighed and scanned her immediate surroundings before heading back. She hadn't taken more than five steps when a noise caught her attention. She raised her weapon and slowly made her way around the large tree that lay to her right.

Sam gasped and instinctively lowered her weapon. Daniel lay on his back clawing weakly at the mossy ground. His once white outfit was soaked in blood. Sam stepped closer, her boot snaping a dry stick with a loud crack. Turning his attention towards the noise his eyes widened in fear. Sam took another step closer, desperate to help.

"Sam..." Kesi panted "stay away from me..."

"Daniel?"

"You can't know that." Kesi whimpered.

"Sir," Sam said into her radio "I found Daniel, directly South of the Gate. He's badly injured, with what looks like a chest wound."

"Keep him guarded, we'll be right there." Jack replied.

"Yes, Sir." Sam raised her weapon once again. "I'm so sorry."

"I understand." Kesi replied with a heartbreaking smile.

Carter couldn't help the tears that slipped from her aqua eyes. Kesi winced in exaggerated pain and coughed weakly. Sam shifted her weight uncomfortably, she had orders to follow, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

"Damn it, Daniel, I've already watched you die once...don't make me do it again."

"I'm sor..." Kesi stopped suddenly and rolled his eyes back.

"Daniel!" Sam cried.

Unable to continue holding her friend at gun point while he died Sam slipped the strap of her P90 over her head and dropped it. Kneeling at his side Sam pressed her delicate fingertips against his throat. Kesi snapped his eyes open and snatched Carter's wrist in his powerful grip.

Sam cried out and tried to jerk away. Kesi rolled over and pined his captive to the ground, holding both of her hands above her head in one hand. Sam took a breath to call out for help, but Kesi quickly covered her mouth.

"Please, I'm sorry!" Kesi hissed in her ear. "I have to talk to you. I can't think of anyway to do this alone. I need your hel..."

Sam's fear was quickly replaced by anger. She bit down on Kesi's hand as hard as she could. He growled in pain, but didn't let go. Sam struggled harder to free herself. There was nothing she could do against Kesi's superior strength and leverage, but that didn't stop her from trying. Kesi looked down at her sadly.

"Daniel was right," Kesi sighed "there is nothing I could ever say to you to make you want to help me."

Sam agreed with him by trying to twist so that she could knee him in the ribs. Unfortunately Sam had taught Daniel all of her self defense tricks long ago. So Kesi could read her every move almost before she even tried them.

"I just want you to know that I will never seek your forgiveness for what I am about to do...but I hope that one day you'll come to understand why I did it."

Kesi shifted his weight and took his hand away from Sam's mouth. However, she didn't bother to cry out. She understood that if she screamed now he'd just thrust his knee into her stomach to stop her. Kesi tore the sleeve of his shirt off and tore it into a strip with his teeth.

He was forced to release Sam in order to gag her with the cloth. Seeing an opportunity Sam tried once more to escape, however Kesi just leaned more of his weight on her stomach until she was forced to stop struggling. The metallic taste of Daniel's blood on the cloth stung the back of her throat bringing her close to retching.

Kesi forced her up, keeping one of her wrists at her side and the other high behind her back for leverage. Together the marched back toward the gate.

"Carter?" Sam's radio squawked. "Carter?!"

There was suddenly the sound of staff weapon fire off in the distance.

"Teal'c?!" The radio crackled again.

"There are oddly coloured replicators here." Teal'c calm voice came over the radio. "They seem to be retreating to the Gate, my weapon had no affect on them."

"Get back there now!" Jack ordered.

"They're not really replicators, they can't multiply. And I've programmed them to die with me, so there is no chance that they'll escape if I fail." Kesi told Sam reassuringly. "But I suspect that you already know that. Deep in your heart you know that if I wanted to take the galaxy over I would have done so by now, if you could only get your mind to believe it as well...we could be friends again."

Sam spat an unintelligible curse.

Kesi ignored the comment and kept them moving. When they arrived at the Gate the replicators were already there, meaning that Teal'c and Jack would not be far behind. Two of the replicators crawled up onto the Gate while the third jumped up on to the DHD. The replicator on the DHD broke the control panel and then joined the others.

Seconds later Jack and Teal'c arrived on the scene simultaneously. When they caught site of Carter and Kesi they automatically raised their weapons. Kesi stood confidently in front of the Gate, facing them using Sam as a shield. For a moment the entire scene was motionless.

Although muffled Sam obviously cried out for them to shoot.

"Kill me and the replicators will have no Master." Kesi warned darkly. "Now that the weapon on Dakara has been destroyed there will be no stopping them from taking over."

Sam tried to tell them otherwise, but could not be understood.

"I'm not going to let you take her." Jack snarled as he took aim.

"Sam will never forgive you if risk the entier galaxy just to save her." Kesi hissed.

Before Jack could make a decision one way or the other the replicators activated the gate without forming a vortex. Kesi quickly stepped back, forcing Sam to follow. The replicators dove into the Gate as well and almost instantly the wormhole snapped closed. After staring at the broken Gate for a long moment Jack closed his eyes and hung his head in defeat.

"What is our next move?" Teal'c asked, never ready to give up.

"I don't know." Jack admited. "You know I've always been grateful that Daniel was on our side...I've never even beaten him at chess."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Daniel found himself once again stumbling through the far side of a wormhole. Only this time he was tripping backwards and he wasn't alone. When he realized that he was gripping someone that was struggling he instantly let go.

Sam didn't question her sudden freedom. In fact she used it to elbow Daniel in the face and then the ribs. He backed away from her, trying to catch his breath and his bearings. Sam didn't give him a chance to do either, she whipped around and brought her knee up into his stomach.

Daniel was dropped to his knees, nauseated by the blow. When he looked up Sam had her side arm out and aimed at his heart. She had torn the gag out and now wore it as a bloodstained necklace. He wanted to make an aggressive move to force her into shooting him, but Kesi seemed to be recovering from the Gate travel. Daniel could feel him vying for full control again.

"Where are we?!" Sam demanded.

"I...I don't know." Daniel stuttered. "Sam, please kil..."

"Tell me!" Sam interrupted.

"Ba'al's ship." Kesi replied calmly.

Sam seemed more surprised to get an answer than the actual answer itself. Kesi got to his feet and looked around for his replicators. They gathered at his feet and then scurried up the wall and into one of the ventilation ducts. While Kesi did this Sam, keeping her aim, circled around him and towards the door. She didn't try to open it, she just wanted to keep her options open and her back protected.

"What is going on?" Sam snarled.

"I've been having a hard time controlling Daniel when we Gate travel lately. I used to put him to sleep when we traveled, but I can't seem to do that anymore. It's only a matter of time before he figures out how to suppress me the way I do him."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm tired of lying to you." Kesi admitted. "I care about you as much as Daniel does. Because I am him, or at least I am who he would be if he had access to the knowledge that he carries."

"If you care about me, why have you kidnapped me and brought me onboard the most powerful remaining Gou'ald's mother ship?"

"Don't worry, I'll have control of the ship in a minute." Kesi smiled. "It's getting control of you that I'm a little more worried about."

"Good luck with that." Sam sneered as she held her gun level to Kesi heart.

"I think we both know that if you were going to shoot me you would have done so by now." Kesi smiled. "Of course I think just to be on the safe side..."

Sam jumped back as a her gun dematerialized into a white light. Kesi held out his hand and caught the weapon as rematerialized in the air in front of him.

"My helpers just tapped into Ba'al's Asgaurd beam." Kesi explained. "Which also means that the ship is ours now."

Sam turned and tried to open the door, but the control panel was obviously under Kesi's control. She slammed her palm against the metal door in frustration and fear. She eventually gave in. Turning around she voluntarily placed her hands behind her back. Unable to bare looking at the friend turned foe she stared blankly at the floor.

"I hate to see you like this Sam." Kesi sighed.

"Then let me go." Sam whispered.

"I can't."

"At least tell me why I'm here."

"In all honesty...because I need someone with Naquadah in their blood. I was hoping to enlist your help."

"But you'll just take it if you have to?"

Kesi nodded and before Sam knew what was happening they were both beamed to the control deck of the massive ship. Striking quick as a snake Kesi had Sam in his grasp once again. He backed her up until she fell back into Ba'al's ornate thrown. Two of the replicators crawled up the arms of the thrown and wrapped themselves around Sam's wrists to keep her seated.

"Please...don't do this." Sam said quietly.

"You don't even know what I'm doing." Kesi replied.

"It can't be the right thing, even if you somehow believe that it is."

"Trust me, this is what Daniel would do if he had the power."

"You're nothing like Daniel." Sam spat angrily. "I don't care how much you know about him, or the memories locked in his mind. You're not him and you have no right to act on his supposed behalf."

"How about if I act on Jack's behalf instead?" Kesi asked suddenly.

"What?"

Kesi didn't answer he just pulled Sam's gun out of his waist band. After checking the weapon over he went to leave.

"Wait...where are you going?" Sam asked.

"I'm going to kill Ba'al."

Kesi used the Asgaurd beam to take him to where Ba'al slept in his sarcophagus. His third replicator was already there and on Kesi's command the metallic creature opened the case. Kesi backed into the shadows and allowed Ba'al to rise. The System Lord did not seem to know that anything was amiss. He put on his hand device and started towards the door.

"Hello." Kesi said as he stepped into Ba'al's path.

"Jackson?" Ba'al asked in disbelief.

"Sort of." Kesi smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"Taking your ship." Kesi replied simply.

"Are you insane?" Ba'al chuckled.

"Just be grateful that I'm not in the mood for, nor do I have time to take proper vengeance."

"What are you taking about?" Ba'al snarled arrogantly.

"I was here, I was watching." Kesi said darkly. "I was helpless at the time, I'm not so helpless anymore."

"Watching what?"

"Jack." Kesi replied calmly.

"O'Neill?"

"You weren't a very gracious host the last time he was a guest on your ship."

Suddenly understanding Ba'al's expression turned to one of fear. He raised his hand device, however nothing happened. Kesi's replicator had already broken it.

"I told you I wasn't helpless." Kesi growled. "I've sent your Jaffa down to the planet, you'll be joining them soon...not that you'll notice."

"You're going to murder me?" Ba'al scoffed. "You'd kill an unarmed man?"

"So now you're just a man?" Kesi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I a..."

Ba'al was cut short as Kesi brought Sam's side arm up and shot him twice through the heart. Kesi walked slowly over to Ba'al's motionless body. He slid the clip out of the gun to check how many rounds were left. Satisfied he clicked the clip back into place and shot Ba'al once more between his glassy eyes. As promised he beamed Ba'al down to the planet so that the Jaffa could see the corpse of their former God. Teal'c had several spies among them, they would now be able to turn the rest.

"Sam was right, Daniel." Kesi muttered to himself. "I'm becoming less and less like you every minute. I think it's time we went our separate ways."

Kesi stepped over to the sarcophagus where his replicator still waited. He held out his hand palm up to the replicator. With one of its sharp claws the metal bug reached out and cut open Kesi's palm.

Holding his injured hand over the sarcophagus Kesi let the blood drip into the bright white interior of the case. The replicator jumped down into the chamber and began to feed on the crimson puddle. The blood that seeped from Kesi hand slowly started to darken until it resembled an oil slick as it continued to drip into the Gou'ald healing device.

Daniel had been fighting so hard to regain control that when he suddenly had it he was too exhausted to handle the shock of it. He only had time to stare down at his bleeding hand before falling to the floor and back into unconsciousness. The heavy lid of the sarcophagus slid closed and suddenly everything was still.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Daniel woke with a pitiful groan. Every cell in his body protested with a dull ache. Sitting up he noticed that even his hair hurt. He looked at his bloody palm and decided that the slice through it was the least of his problems.

"Do you think we could call a 'truce' long enough to take a shower?" Daniel asked the empty room. "...Kesi?"

When Daniel didn't get an answer he searched his mind for the sensation of his alter ego fighting against him. It was unnerving not to find him there. Daniel forced himself up, his bare feet unhappy about the cold marble floor. He looked around the room and instantly recognized it as Gou'ald.

"This can't be good."

Turning around he finally spotted the large sarcophagus. He furrowed his brow, he was having trouble concentrating. He pressed the stone that should open the case, but nothing happened. He sifted through his chaotic memories of the past few days. Jumping back and forth from reality to fiction had put a lot of holes in his memory. However he did recall seeing a puddle of blood in the bottom of the sarcophagus.

"You'd better not be doing what I think you're doing in there!" Daniel snarled in frustration.

Knowing he'd never force the sarcophagus open Daniel stalked over to the door. Part of him expected it to remain closed, however it slid open easily. Daniel moved towards where he felt the control deck should be. He was cautious at first, but quickly came to realize that there was no one else on the ship.

"At least, not yet." Daniel grumbled. "I can't believe that I have actually become my own worst enemy."

Daniel finally came to the door that lead into the control deck. Stepping inside he found that he wasn't alone after all. His memories from the last Gate jump were mostly of being beaten senseless, which had reminded him more of his unfortunate encounter with Valla than anything else.

"Sam?"

Sam looked over from her place on Ba'al's thrown, but said nothing. Without thinking Daniel rushed over to help her. However the look in Sam's icy azure eyes stopped him about five feet away. She had the gaze of a lioness in the grass waiting for the zebras to decide that it was safe to come to the water's edge for a drink.

"You're going to kick me if I come closer, aren't you?" Daniel asked.

"I was thinking about it." Sam replied honestly.

"I could tell." Daniel was forced to smile.

"Daniel?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Yes, but I don't expect you to believe it." Daniel said sadly. "In fact it would probably be best if you didn't. But let's say for the sake of argument that you do."

"Okay..." Sam said slowly, clearly confused.

"How do I destroy the ship from here."

"You want to kill us both?"

"No, I want to kill all three of us."

"Right, of course."

"I'm so sorry, Sam. But it's the only thing I can think of to stop him. We don't have much time, I think he's building himself his own body in the sarcophagus using the DNA from my blood."

"Is that even possible?"

"For a Gou'ald: no. For an Ancient: absolutely. I'm living proof." Daniel replied. "Sam, I need to destroy the ship before he's free."

"I...I shouldn't tell you." Sam said warily. "I'm sorry, Daniel, you can't be trusted."

"If I was Kesi, I'd already know how." Daniel pointed out. "So there's no harm in telling me...other than the obvious of killing us all."

Sam thought about it for a moment. "You can't overload the system from here, not without Ba'al's codes. But you might be able to do it manually at the main hyper drive. Open the second panel on the largest column, and the third panel on the fourth column. You'll be looking for eight crystals, a red one, a blu..."

"Sam stop. I'm never going to remember all of this...I've had a really rough day."

Daniel stepped closer and he could see Sam tense.

"Please don't kick me, I just want to get the ear piece for your radio. That way you can repea..."

"Keep back!" Sam barked.

"Sam pl..."

"No, I will not be fooled again." Sam snapped. "Touch me at your own risk!"

"Danny" a familiar voice mocked "you're not mistreating our guest are you?"

Sam and Daniel looked over at the door and for a moment they could only stare. Daniel's twin was leaning against the door frame casually. He wore a black silk shirt and pants that he had obviously borrowed from Ba'al's wardrobe. Kesi stepped closer, Sam gasped as she noticed the one difference between the two. Kesi's eyes weren't the bright blue hue that they should be, they were a frightening iridescent black.

"Kesi." Daniel growled.

Unconcerned by the gun Kesi held Daniel rushed him. Kesi smiled and used the Asgaurd beam to turn his attacker around. Not expecting to be reoriented Daniel slammed into the wall that had suddenly appeared in front of him. Turning back around Daniel gave Kesi a sour look.

"I know, that wasn't fair." Kesi admitted. "I just wanted to show you that you can't fight me."

"At least let Sam go, whatever you need her for I'll take her place."

"I wish you could, but you don't have any Naquadah in your blood."

"No..." Daniel said slowly. What was left of his colour drain. "Don't do this, please."

"Daniel, what's going on?" Sam asked confused.

"He wants you to be host to Anubis." Daniel lamented.

"Yes." Kesi nodded. "In his hurry to escape Oma he'll come here. Not only take revenge on Ba'al for failing him, but to take possession of the ship. When he does he'll be forced to take the only human host he can find, the Naquadah will make her a more desirable host."

"Look, if you're determined to release Anubis, he'll just as gladly take me...for the irony of it if nothing else." Daniel reasoned.

"No, it has to be Sam." Kesi replied coldly. "Besides I need you to be doing me a different favour."

"You've got to be kidding." Daniel snarled.

"I need to you contact Oma for me, so she'll let Anubis go."

"Even if I wanted to help, which I don't." Daniel said firmly. "I don't even know how to contact her."

"Sure you do." Kesi smiled.

"Daniel!" Sam cried.

Sam's warning didn't help. Kesi raised Sam's gun and fired without hesitation. Daniel knit his brow in confusion, as if he wasn't sure what had just happened. He looked down at his chest, but it didn't help him figure it out. Afterall his shirt had already been soaked in blood. It wasn't until he pressed his hand against his heart and felt the hot river that he slid to the floor.

"Daniel..." Sam whimpered.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Sam." Kesi said sincerely. "It was the only way."

Despite Kesi's distance from her Sam spat at him violently. Kesi ignored her and stepped over to the massive ship's controls. Sam could feel them jump into hyperspace, but she didn't bother to ask where they were going. Her whole attention was suddenly on the gun that Kesi set down on the top of console in plain sight. She wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but she instantly became determined to get the weapon back.

Kesi turned around, leaned back against the console and watched her, clearly waiting for Anubis. He didn't have to wait long. Sam's eyes roamed the room as if lost and she pulled at the replicator restrains once more.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Sam demanded in a harsh voice that was not her own.

"Welcome, Anubis." Kesi said with a mock bow.

"Jackson?" Anubis echoed Ba'al's confusion.

"That's Dr...or rather Lord Jackson, to you."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Daniel was starting to get weary of waking up in unfamiliar places. Looking around he found this place one of the strangest of all. He was in a wild flower meadow that could easy pass for the Elysian Fields. The meadow was surrounded by an inviting forest, the forest in turn was surrounded by a ring of seemingly impossibly high mountains.

"No!" A familiar female voice cried. "Why?! I did everything I could! Please don't do this!"

Daniel turned towards the heartfelt plea. A woman with long dark hair stood about twenty feet away with her back to him. As Daniel approached she suddenly collapsed to her knees and wept bitterly.

"Oma?"

Oma turned and stared at Daniel in horror.

"What are you doing here?" Oma demanded. "Daniel, what have you done?!"

"I haven't done anything."

To Daniel's surprise Oma's expression to one of anger, something he'd never seen before, and hoped never to see again. She got to her feet rushed up to him looking for all the world like she was going to slap him. Daniel wouldn't have stopped her, which was probably why she didn't do it.

"You've let Anubis escape!" Oma snarled. "You knew the only thing keeping him from returning to finish what he'd started was the fact that I was fighting him. Why have you done this and brought us here?!"

"Wait, stop, I didn't call or bring anyone anywhere." Daniel said defensively.

"There is zero tolerance for using suicide to reach Ascension! And now I've been held responsible for your rash actions!"

"I didn't kill myself!" Daniel protested vehemently.

"Then how did you get here?"

"Kesi shot me!"

"Who's Kesi?"

"Kesi..." Daniel paused "...I don't really know. He claims to be me."

"You?"

"Yes, no...I don't know." Daniel dragged his hands through his hair in frustration. "All I know is that three months ago I found a table with Ancient writing on it. Suddenly I had this 'alter ego' that could control me that was bent on killing Anubis or so he said."

"Anubis can't be killed." Oma snapped in uncharacteristic annoyance.

"I tried to tell him that."

"Him?"

"Kesi, this...thing that's been causing all of this. Like I said there was this tablet. It was metal, a strange black meta..." Daniel stopped when he saw the look on Oma's face.

"You found the Takri Tablet?"

"Maybe..." Daniel said slowly. "What is it?"

"Some say it's just a myth. Other say it was a very dangerous object. In either case it was said to have been destroyed long ago."

"What is it?" Daniel repeated.

"It was the product of some of the greatest minds among the Ancients. It was meant to try and stop the plague that was slaughtering them, before they learned of Ascension. However it was worse than the plague itself, anyone who touched it rapidly went insane and died. It resembled an oily black metal and it was very difficult to contain. If the stories are to be believed what little of it that was made was turned into a tablet and thrown into a black hole."

"I read the tablet, the first half sound surprisingly like your story. The second half is the ranting of a mad man. What if it was never destroyed? What if the person that was supposed to destroy it never got the chance What if he decided to carve a warning in it in case it ever escaped the black hole, and ended up coming in contact with it. It would explain the mad ranting. Rather than being destroyed it was simply lost."

"Then why didn't it kill you when you touched it?"

"I don't know, but it almost killed Sam. In me it somehow formed a consciousness of its own. Who has worked very hard to free Anubis."

"None of this makes any sense."

"It's frightening to hear you say that." Daniel admitted.

"I don't know everything, Daniel." Oma sighed. "I've made mistakes. Anu..."

"Anubis wasn't your biggest mistake." Daniel said sadly. "I was."

"Da..."

"We both know it's true." Daniel interupted. "But what's done is done. Now we need to work on what can be done about it."

"I don't even know how any of this happened."

"I don't think 'how' matters, all that matters is that my psychotic other 'self' is on a ship with Anubis using Sam as a host. Clearly he can't want to kill Anubis because Anubis can't be killed, so he must want something else. And let's face facts there is nothing that Anubis could possibly have that's good.

I fear that Kesi is more dangerous than Anubis could ever be. Anubis can't be killed, but there is a good chance that Kesi can be. You have to send me back, I have to destroy that ship."

"Send you back?" Oma repeated incredulously. "Daniel...do you have any idea where you are?"

"No, not really."

"This plane, this place, this is the ultimate in Ascension punishment. The mountains that surround us can not be scaled, they mark the edge of our new world. The sun will never set, the weather will never change, the season will never turn. We will neither hunger nor thirst, we can not die, but we will never think of ourselves as living."

Daniel just stared at Oma in horror.

"Welcome to Exile, Daniel Jackson."

"Exile?"

"We're trapped here, forever."

Daniel was trying to wrap his mind around the concept when his heart suddenly lurched. He hadn't even noticed that it hadn't been beating until it started up again. Cold air lanced through his lungs as everything turned a bright white.

Staring up at a black celing it took Daniel a minute to relize that he was laying down. Sitting up he found himself in Ba'al's sarcouhgus. He got out quickly, he hated these things.

"What the hell is going on?" Daniel snarled. "Why would Kesi bring me back?"

"He didn't." Anubis's voice sneered suddenly. "I did."

Daniel hadn't even noticed being beamed to the control deck. His surroundings had been changing so offten that he was starting to get used to it. As he turned around his eyes first went to Sam who was laying on floor. He instincitly took a step towards her, however one of the oily replicators moved into his path and hissed menicingly at him.

Daniel turned his attention to the replicator's master. Kesi's black eyes were now blood shot with the poision of Anubis.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"What were you thinking?" Anubis chuckled.

"I don't know." Daniel admitted. "I'd like to think that 'I' was trying to kill you."

"Oh, you were." Anubis assured with a wide grin. "I was actually referring to the part where you thought you could control me. Your plan, or Kesi's, however you want to see it, was so childish. Not that I don't admire your willingness to not only give up your own lives, but your friend's here as well."

"I would never sacrifice Sam against her will." Daniel growled.

"Kesi seemed to think that you would." Anubis shrugged. "He had this ship headed for a black hole."

"Would that even stop you?"

"In a way." Anubis admitted. "If he had been able to keep me captive in that female body long enough to get there. Black holes aren't what you think they are. I'd explain, but you wouldn't understand."

"I appreciate you keeping the conversation down on my level." Daniel replied sarcastically.

"I try. But it's not easy, even with all the knowledge of the Ancients you've never been a match for me."

"Did you bring me back just to gloat?" Daniel asked wearily.

"No, I brought you back to thank you." Anubis mocked. "I just wanted you to know that you've let me become more powerful that I could have ever imagined. With the knowledge and full control of the replicators, I can't imagine anything stopping me. Even if I lose this body, the knowledge is mine now."

Daniel knit his brow in thought. Something wasn't right.

"It is going to be glorious to destroy the Tau'ri with the ship that you have provided me." Anubis continued.

"Good luck with that. We'll just drop you out of the sky the way we did before."

"I don't think so. We're going to stop at PX3-279 first, where I happen to know that the only man truly capable of operating the weapon is currently trapped."

Daniel clenched his jaw in silent frustration. He glanced back down at Sam. She was out cold, but still breathing gently. Anubis followed Daniel's line of sight and smiled. He walked up until he was almost touching Daniel. He didn't react, knowing that Anubis wanted nothing more than to see him angry.

"I could have killed her." Anubis hissed in Daniel's ear.

Daniel grit his teeth, fighting to keep from playing Anubis's game.

"But I have a better idea." Anubis purred. "Accept me as your God and I'll be merciful enough to allow you to kill your friends yourself and spare them the years of torture I had planed for them for all the humiliation they've caused me."

Every muscle in Daniel's body tensed, but he was determined to remain motionless. Anubis chuckled and then whispered something about Sam's fate in particular that broke Daniel's resolve.

Daniel lashed out at Anubis with a force that took them both off guard. Anubis was thrown back, however it didn't take him long to reorient himself. He pounced at Daniel like a lion. Daniel was ready for him and managed to minimize the damage from Anubis's attack and retaliate.

They were so blinded by their hate of one another that they were oblivious to any physical pain they were causing each other. At first the bitter fight seemed like two immortals hopelessly clashing with one another. However currently they were both flesh and blood.

Daniel was the first to misstep as his adrenaline began to fail him. He stumbled and ended up down on one knee. Attempting to use the mistake to his advantage sprung up, hoping his momentum would help him crush Anubis's throat. He'd come to a point where he didn't even care that Anubis couldn't truly be killed.

Anubis was quick and had just enough time to avoid the fatal blow. Instead of slamming his palm into Anubis's throat Daniel ended up striking his collar bone. There was a sickening sound as the bone snapped. Anubis cried out in pain and back away until he was up against the wall.

For a moment they just glared at each other, both panting, dripping in sweat and blood. Anubis eventually forced a triumphant smile as though the battle was over and he had won. Daniel snarled in disgust and went to resume his attack.

Daniel froze in his tracks as the two remaining replicators scurried into his path. The replicators reared up their front legs menacingly like giant spiders protecting their young.

"Last chance." Anubis sneered. "Kneel before me now and I'll spare your life for the time being."

Daniel didn't seem to hear him, his whole attention was fixed on the pair of replicators.

"Take my advice, Jackson, chose Death over Ascension this time around." Anubis spat. "Assuming they even give you another chance after what you've done."

The replicators rushed forward. Daniel closed his eyes and calmly held his hand out. He had controlled them before, he should be able to do it again. The replicators headed him and froze, they started to back up and then hesitantly stepped forward again before stopping once more. Daniel didn't open his eyes to see what they were doing, he need all of his concentration to stay connected with them.

"Very clever." Anubis chuckled. "But not a very permanent solution."

Anubis was right, and Daniel knew it. Even after only a few seconds he was starting to tremble with the effort of keeping them at bay. He'd hoped to be able to make them turn on their master but Anubis's control over them was too strong for that. Anubis laughed again, grating on Daniel's already over wrought nerves.

"You can't hold them off forever." Anubis mocked.

"He doesn't have to." Sam's voice suddenly snarled.

The shock of hearing Sam's voice caused Daniel to snap his eyes open, breaking his tenuous grip on the replicators. Released they leapt forward. A single shot rang out from the gun that Kesi had casually left on the console. The replicators dropped to the floor inert even though Sam had not been aiming at them.

As Daniel had done before Anubis looked down at the oozing hole in his chest. An uncharacteristic look of fear spread across his face as he slipped to the floor. Too exhausted to remain standing Daniel finally dropped down to his knees. He knew that in seconds Anubis would leave his dying host to take Sam and resume the fight. Not knowing any way to stop him Daniel watched passively as the blood shot stain melted from Kesi's black eyes. To his surprise Kesi smiled.

"I knew Sam wouldn't let us down." Kesi panted.

"You've simply doomed her to become Anubis's host once more." Daniel spat angrily.

"No...the rules...he broke the rules..."

Daniel expression turned to one of shock. "Anubis was only allowed to gain as much power as he would if he was still a Gou'ald..."

"No Gou'ald could have taken me." Kesi smiled weakly. "I now hold Anubis as I held you. He is mortal now...and he dies with me..."

Kesi smiled once more. His unnaturally dark eyes rolled back to white. Daniel stared at his dead counterpart. He suddenly understood every step Kesi had taken, and even the reasons that he had to keep his plan mostly a secret. Daniel's stomach twisted painfully at risks Kesi had taken, if anything had fallen out of place... Daniel's thought was cut off as he felt Sam come up to stand behind him.

"Stay down." Sam ordered.

Daniel didn't think he could get up even if he wanted to. He peacefully held his hands behind his back to show her he had no intention of resisting. As she used a pair of zip ties to keep his wrist together he could feel her shaking uncontrollably.

"If it really is you, Daniel, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sam...I'm not sure I trust myself yet either."


	14. Chapter 14

Epilogue: Daniel

Daniel woke and found himself once more in medical containment. He was not surprised to find his wrist back in the leather straps. Yet it was still disheartening to find that the nightmare wasn't over. His blood chilled when he suddenly realized that it might never end. It would always just be his word that he was himself again, and his friends had heard that wolf cry several times already.

Jack must have been watching through the one-way mirror because it wasn't long before he came in through the door. He came over the bed side and forced a smile.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Like myself."

"Glad to hear it." Jack paused. "So...Carter tells me Anubis is dead?"

Daniel nodded.

"Again...good to hear. I never really did like him."

Nothing was said for a moment.

"Carter..." Jack stopped before starting again. "Carter left this out of her report, but she told me she thought she saw you controlling a replicator."

"She did." Daniel admitted.

"I was afraid of that." Jack sighed. "You know that puts me in a difficult position."

Daniel nodded again.

"I mean as far as we can tell all of the replicators turned to dust like the others. Your tests all came back negative for any metal traces. Although Sam tell me that doesn't necessarily mean anything." Jack shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I don't suppose you could promise me that you won't make any more?"

"I swear it."

"Pinkie swear?" Jack asked with a sly grin.

Daniel chuckled. He lifted his hand as high as the restraints would allow. Jack accepted the offer and hooked his finger around Daniel's to seal the deal. He unbuckled the leather strap and helped Daniel remove the other three. Daniel sat up, enjoying the freedom and control to do so.

"Is Sam okay?" Daniel asked anxiously.

"She's fine. Although she's been a bit quiet since coming back."

"Can I talk to her?"

"She's in the hall, waiting for me to declare you no longer a Security Threat. I'll tell her that you've been given the All Clear."

"Thank you."

Jack went to leave. Half way to the door he stopped and turned around.

"Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"It's good to have you back."

"Thanks."

"You are back...right?"

"Hey, you can't fake a pinkie swear."

"That's true." Jack smiled.

Jack knocked on the door and the guard let him out. Daniel rubbed at his wrists while waiting for Sam. She stepped into room and walked over to him as though the floor itself was made of eggshells.

"Hey." Sam greeted with a forced smile. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm okay."

"I want to apologize for everything Kesi and I put you through."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I'm not so sure about that."

Silence fell over them both. Daniel sighed, not knowing how to approach what he wanted to talk about. Luckily Sam found a way first.

"You know, don't you?" Sam said quietly.

"That you tried to kill me after Anubis?" Daniel smiled sadly. "Yeah, I do, and I wanted to make sure that you don't feel guilty about it."

"How can I not? I tried to shoot you in the back. If the gun hadn't been empty..."

"You were just protecting yourself, Sam. I know how much you fear the replicators...luckily Kesi knew it too."

"What?"

"He let me see a flash of something he did just before he killed Ba'al that I didn't understand until I heard the gun click behind me after you shot Anubis. He took three of the bullets out of the gun and dropped them."

"He left a single round in the gun on purpose, knowing that I'd hit Anubis before turning on you."

Daniel nodded.

"Kesi knew me as well as you do, didn't he?" Sam asked rhetorically. "Do you really think he was you?"

"I don't know, I don't think we ever will know."

"There's one way find out."

"How?"

"Knowing what you know now...would you do it again? Would you give your life to kill Anubis if given the chance?"

"Honestly?" Daniel paused. "Yes, I would..."

"Then I don't see how Kesi could have been anyone else."


	15. Chapter 15

Epilogue: Kesi

"You make the best waffles."

Oma smiled. She sat down at the antique kitchen table and watched Kesi eat. She still wasn't sure what to think of him. Or of the fact that she seemed to have been freed from Exile. Kesi looked up at Oma and smiled just as Daniel would have. Although this creature's eyes still swirled with the rainbow iridescence of an oil slick.

"So, Dan...sorry, 'Kesi', who are you?"

"I don't really know." Kesi admitted. "I feel like I'm Daniel. I mean, I miss my friends, I have the same nightmares, I love the same foods. It's like I found a way to copy a version of my consciousness that had full access to everything I've ever learned."

"But how did you do it?"

"I was kind of hoping you'd know. I'm starting to think that I didn't, that I couldn't have."

"You are correct." A female voice suddenly entered the conversation.

It was Kesi's turn to have his surroundings suddenly switched on him. At first he believed that he had simply been struck blind. Everything had turned a featureless white.

"Oma?"

"She is safe."

Kesi turned around and found a woman standing behind him. She matched her surroundings almost perfectly with her long white dress. Her pale hair, skin, and nearly colourless eyes added to her ghost like appearance.

"Who are you?"

"I am a Guardian." She said as if it explained everything.

"You did all of this." Kesi stated rather than asked.

"No, I simply started it." The Guardian replied. "If you consider Daniel your father, I would be your mother. I set the tablet in Daniel's path, I used it to make a 'copy' as you put it."

"Why?"

"It was a test."

"A test?" Kesi snarled. "A test of what?"

"You." The Guardian replied simply.

"Why?"

"I needed to see how far you would go, what you would sacrifice, and most importantly how you handled power. I have to admit I am pleased by the results."

"And what if I had failed?" Kesi asked angrily. "What if I had taken that power and over run the galaxy with it?"

"That would have been regrettable." The Guardian said calmly. "However I doubted that Oma would make the same mistake twice."

"Does this mean she is truly forgiven for Anubis?"

"Yes."

"So you weren't testing me, you were putting her on trial."

"In a way."

"So what was the true purpose of this?" Kesi snarled and gestured to the void like surroundings. "I killed off Anubis, what more do you want?"

"I want you to rise above Ascension and become a Guardian."

"What?"

"There is an enemy out there that you and your friends have yet to meet. An enemy of even the Ancients. I want your help fighting against it."

"Why me?"

"Because you passed my test." The Guardian answered simply. "Although before you agree to this I must warn you that your new enemy will be far worse than any in your past, and the stakes much higher."

"Worse than Anubis?"

"By far."

Kesi started to feel is temper raise, but then just sighed in sudden defeat.

"Does it ever end?" Kesi whispered sadly.

"End?"

"I was hoping to rest, to go back to Abydos." Kesi admitted. "I thought once Anubis was gone, that their might finally be peace."

"The amount of power in the Universe is infinite, and so is the number of souls willing to abuse it for their own gain. The War will only end when people stop fighting to protect the innocent. Are you ready to let the War end?"

"What about Oma?" Kesi asked rather than answered.

"My counterpart is currently offering her what I am offering you. We felt it best that you each make this decision on your own."

"What if I cause more harm than good?" Kesi asked seriously.

"The worst harm anyone can do against adversity is nothing."

Kesi thought about the Guardians words. He dragged his hands through his hair in frustration and indecision. When he looked up the Guardian was standing patiently with her hand extended for him to take. Kesi smiled and took her delicate hand.

"So...who are we fighting this time?"

"The Ori."


End file.
